Alaska Never Disappoints!

American Constellation Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 4
Helpful Votes: 98

Overall rating:

5 out of 5
American Constellation

10 Night Alaskan Explorer (Juneau Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 23, 2022

Ship: American Constellation

Cabin number: 308

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

This was our 6th cruise to Alaska, all previous cruises were on big ships. While they were all great trips, this one was so special because of the size of the ship, and the willingness of the staff to ensure each person had an amazing experience with nature. Some examples to illustrate - whenever we would see a whale or sea otters or an amazing waterfall as we were sailing, the captain would stop and swing the boat around so we could all see it. The onboard guest lecturer (more on her later) would get on the PA and let us know what we were seeing, or if she was out on deck, she'd go around to each person and offer her expertise. The size of our ship also allowed us to get up close to glaciers we would never get to see on a big ship. On the day we went to Tracy Arm, the captain was able to take us to a second, even more grand glacier, than had been planned. It was spectacular (see photo above). Another plus to being on a small ship, we went to ports that the big ships are unable to go to. Small towns with small town flavor, like Wrangell, Petersburg, Haines, Hoonoo, towns you may not have heard of, but they were very welcoming to us and offered some great excursions. My favorite excursion was from Wrangell, we boarded jet boats and went up the river. Our guide was fantastic, he knew the river like the back of his hands, and took us on several tributaries where we could see the Alaskan beauty all around, including an amazing glazier. He actually got the boat close enough to the glacial ice that we could reach out and touch it from the boat. Onboard the ship, we were well cared for, with delicious meals three times a day, snacks, fresh cookies, and a generous bar. Our room was roomy with plenty of space for our things, and housekeeping was efficient and top notch. Some of our favorite on board experiences were when they had local musical entertainment come on board for evening shows. They were so good! We will definitely return to Alaska, and I can't think of a better way to go than on a small ship cruise with ACL.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Easy, room was ready with luggage already delivered.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Dining room served three delicious meals a day, snacks and cookies available throughout the day. Generous bartenders in the evening.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
Onboard lecturer, Sara, was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Alaska and it's wildlife. Her enthusiasm was infectious.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
Local entertainers were brought on board on several nights and they were all excellent. It was great to get to know about their life in very remote Alaskan cities.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Everyone I saw was working hard to make sure the guests all had a great experience. Housekeeping was great, they were very stealth at entering our rooms and working their magic while we were out. Cruise director and excursion director were always available to offer advice and make sure everyone got the experiences they wanted.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Small ship was so perfect for seeing the inside passage - see comments below.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Cabin was generously sized, especially nice was the roomy balcony.

Ship tip

Don't miss the evening performances, in person if you can. It's a great way to bond with your fellow guests.

Ports of call

Juneau, Alaska

5 out of 5

Haines, Alaska

5 out of 5

Cruise Glacier Bay

5 out of 5

PETERSBURG, ALASKA

5 out of 5

Ketchikan, Alaska

5 out of 5

Wrangell, Alaska

5 out of 5

Cruise Inside Passage, Alaska

5 out of 5

Cruise Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Very early AM due to flight, and the excursion director made travel arrangements to get us to the airport on time.
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4 Comments

kwahl1    1 year ago

Great review! We've done the American Melody on the Mississippi and I high recommend. I'm tying to get a feel for the Alaska trip, due to sail in May 2024. I've read a number of negative from the COVID days, not on this website. Good to hear that customer service has improved. Please keep it up.

Ship2Shora    1 year ago

AuntPinkie    2 years ago

Appreciate your detailed review. Glad you enjoyed your cruise on the small boat!

javawoody    2 years ago

Glad you enjoyed your experience